Partner s in Prayer. Syria and Iraq. September 2017

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Annis Dickerson
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September 2017 Partner s in Prayer Syria and Iraq s yria has been caught in a civil war since 2011.

In Syria, Christians suffer heavy persecution in areas held by IS and Islamic militants. Believers from a Muslim Background (BMBs) face considerable pressure in all spheres of life.

1 September 2017 Partner s in Prayer Syria and Iraq s yria has been caught in a civil war since While in Iraq, Christians have been forced to flee or be killed when Islamic State (IS) expanded their presence in the country in In Syria, Christians suffer heavy persecution in areas held by IS and Islamic militants. Believers from a Muslim Background (BMBs) face considerable pressure in all spheres of life. In Iraq, persecution is characterised by impunity, the threat of attacks by Islamic extremists, and second-class treatment of Christians by the authorities. It s for these reasons that Christians in Syria and Iraq desperately need hope. Pray for a restoration of hope in the lives of Christians in Syria and Iraq. Pray for those speaking out on behalf of Christians in the Middle East, as they seek equality, dignity and recognition for Christians in society including Open Doors as we seek to make the UN aware of the plight of these Christians. Pray that the global Church will unite in becoming a voice for Christians in the Middle East in prayer, support and advocacy. Syria Iraq Syria 6 President Bashar al-assad 18.9 million ( Christians) Islam Republic Islamic Oppression and Ethnic Antagonism Iraq Position on the 2017 WWL: Leader: Population: Main Religion: Government: Sources of Persecution: 8-19 Brownridge Rd. Halton Hills, ON L7G 0C6 (905) President Faud Masum 38.6 million ( Christians) Islam Parliamentary Democracy Islamic Oppression 1

Nigeria: Suspected drugtraffickers kill 11 in church attack Sudan: Church demolition program continues in August According to BBC News on 7 August 2017, at least 11 have been killed and 18 wounded

The authorities think the attack may have been staged in connection with disputes related to drug-trafficking and have ruled out any connection to Islamic militants operating in northern Nigeria.

2 Nigeria: Suspected drugtraffickers kill 11 in church attack Sudan: Church demolition program continues in August According to BBC News on 7 August 2017, at least 11 have been killed and 18 wounded when one or more gunmen opened fire in a Catholic church in Ozubulu, near the city of Onitsha in southern Nigeria. The authorities think the attack may have been staged in connection with disputes related to drug-trafficking and have ruled out any connection to Islamic militants operating in northern Nigeria. Yonas Dembele, persecution analyst at World Watch Research, comments: Although Islamic militancy in northern Nigeria might be the single most important source of persecution in the country, this incident shows that organized crime is also a source of persecution. Southern Nigeria is an area where Christians are dominant. Such horrific attacks against churches in the southern parts of the country are unusual and hopefully this will remain an isolated incident. Please Pray: for the family members and loved ones of those injured and killed in this recent attack on a Catholic church on Southern Nigeria. Christians living in the Northern states of Nigeria have been facing ongoing violence with Islamic militants. Pray for strife to cease in Nigeria The government of Sudan has continued its crackdown on 27 churches designated for destruction. According to World Watch Monitor on 4 August 2017, the Baptist Church in Omdurman was demolished on 2 August. Christian Solidarity Worldwide reported on 10 May 2017 that the last of 13 churches in the Soba Aradi district had been demolished on 7 May. Yonas Dembele, persecution analyst at World Watch Research, comments: This is another step among many that the government has been taking to eliminate Christians from the country. The government wants to demolish more than 20 churches in the country as part of a redevelopment program. It is not a secret plan. Dembele continues: Following the independence of South Sudan, President al-bashir publicly declared that Sharia law would now be implemented throughout Sudan. Many Christians feared for their lives and thousands left the country. If the international community cannot put pressure on Sudan to respect the religious freedom of Christians, it is likely that the government will keep arresting Christians and demolishing churches. Please Pray: for wisdom for those in leadership in the Government of Sudan. for Christians whose churches have been demolished Partner s in Prayer 2

Analysis: Iraqi Christians returning to Nineveh Plains after 3 years need protection Three years after Iraq s Christians fled the Nineveh Plains, driven away by the Islamic State group, human rights

3 Analysis: Iraqi Christians returning to Nineveh Plains after 3 years need protection Three years after Iraq s Christians fled the Nineveh Plains, driven away by the Islamic State group, human rights lawyer Ewelina Ochab has charted the movements of the Christians and evaluated the likelihood that they will now return. A report published earlier this year showed that 50% of Iraq s Christians have left the country since 2006, and that there was a sharp increase in people fleeing with the arrival of IS. The Christians found shelter as internally displaced people (IDPs) in Kurdistan, or as refugees in nearby countries such as Jordan and Lebanon, while others are now living in the US, Canada or Australia. Since IS was pushed out of the Nineveh Plains, people are slowly starting to return to rebuild their homes and lives, but Ochab says the number of resettled Iraqi Christians remains very low. Many of them find it difficult to return because they see no future for themselves in the country. For those who are returning, there are two major challenges that need to be addressed. The cost of rebuilding the homes IS destroyed estimated at more than $200 million. Secondly there is the question of security. The returnees need a guarantee that they will be safe, and that their rights will be protected. IS will remain Although IS seems to be losing more ground every day, it will not disappear; not as long as the political reasons that produced it remain, writes Khaled Yamout, a political science professor at Morocco s Mohammed V University in Rabat. In an article for the Asharq Al-aawsat news site, he explores the circumstances that gave birth to IS and which, he says, will ensure its survival. He defines three main factors that allow ISIS to continue to exist and renew itself : the phenomenon of a new bloc in the Middle East (confronting the Western colonial powers); the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-assad (who used the rise of IS to his strategic advantage, Yamout quotes Francois Burgat, of the French National Centre for Scientific Research, as saying); and religious intolerance (fuelled by IS s rhetoric). Last week, Chaldean Chaldean Archbishop Amel Nona also predicted IS s survival, saying the group is more than just a group; it is a way of thinking and acting. Please continue to uphold this situation in prayer. Many internally displaced Christians and other minorities seek to return back to their homes and resume a life of normalcy. Open Doors is closely working with partner churches in Syria and Iraq to help rebuild and restore homes and businesses of Christians so that they can be a light to those around them. Partner s in Prayer 3

Pastor Edward in Damascus sees Beams of Light coming through the Dark Cloud over Syria Pastor Edward Compares Situation in Syria with the Book of Habakkuk I see a lot of parallels between our

4 Pastor Edward in Damascus sees Beams of Light coming through the Dark Cloud over Syria Pastor Edward Compares Situation in Syria with the Book of Habakkuk I see a lot of parallels between our situation and the book of Habakkuk in the Old Testament, Pastor Edward says. We live in Syria in very bleak and dark times. I learned some lessons from the book of Habakkuk: First, to wait silently and to trust that God will speak. Second, to look at how God has worked through history. And third, that peace comes through a personal experience of the presence of the Lord. Habakkuk learned to cry out to God for help in very dark times. He asks God, How long must I call for help? He looks forward to God s answer. We have the same experience. As Syrian Christians we cried out to God, we trusted that He would answer. As a church we came together, we prayed, but there came no answer from heaven. Like Habakkuk we cried out, How long, O Lord, must we call for help without an answer? We cried out, Where are You Lord? The war continues, the people are afraid, they are in despair. We see darkness cover our country. How long Lord? Children are being killed, innocent people die. We see the staggering statistics that half of the Syrians are displaced, half of them are children under 17. Millions of children are out of school, some for years already. Thousands of young men leave the country fearing to be called to serve in the army. Pastor Edward continues: As a church we called to God. We re frustrated in Syria. Sometimes we have hope, but just when we start hoping, something happens and all hope is gone. It breaks my heart to see the suffering around me. The Syrian pastor moves to the second chapter of Habakkuk. The prophet stands his watch and looks for God s answer. God disappoints Habakkuk. He kind of says, You would wish not to hear my answer. He will send a powerful enemy to invade the country and take many prisoners. We see this happen in our country. After the regime and the rebels, the Islamists came to invade our country with violence. We prayed: Lord, why make us look at injustice. Why do you tolerate wrong? We as the church in Syria learned to wait and listen for what God wants Partner s in Prayer 4

to say. Waiting is not easy, it is painful to wait, to be patient and to trust in the sovereignty of God. Yes, we have the feeling sometimes that God doesn t listen, but He does.

5 to say. Waiting is not easy, it is painful to wait, to be patient and to trust in the sovereignty of God. Yes, we have the feeling sometimes that God doesn t listen, but He does. In our waiting lies a goal, we need to look to ourselves, to our motives deep in our heart, and to our personal relationship with God. Waiting under this pressure changes our character. A change of character isn t something that comes quickly, it is a slow process with a big result. Habakkuk had to wait. As it is written, it is good to wait: Though it linger, wait for it. We must learn to silently and patiently wait for the Lord with a trustful heart. Not to complain, not to ask for compassion, but silently wait with great confidence on His goodness. Like is written in Habakkuk 2:4: but the righteous will live by his faith. The second lesson is a changing point in Habakkuk s life. Pastor Edward: I call it moving from frustration to celebration. First Habakkuk complains, then he waits, and after that he remembers what God has done in the past. God says that Habakkuk doesn t listen well, because God already spoke through the things he has done in history. Habakkuk thinks of the Exodus from Egypt, God s powerful presence at Mount Sinai. We as Christians can think of the cross of Jesus, his resurrection, the Lord on the throne. We can think of the many Christians who follow him and who have experienced how God protected them and how he has showed them his goodness and grace. This all brings light to the mind of the prophet. He thought that God wasn t listening, but then he discovered that he himself was not listening well. Hab. 3:16: I heard and my heart pounded, my lips quivered at the sound, decay crept into my bones, and my legs trembled. Yes I will wait patiently for the day of calamity to come on the nation invading us. We, as the Syrian church, experience the fear of the Lord, His sovereignty, His greatness, and His power. We have learned that peace comes through a personal experience of the presence of God. The fear of the Lord and the peace of God are connected, they go together. Habakkuk s life changed because of this experience of the presence of God. He didn t get all the answers, but God was sufficient for him. He could end with this beautiful song in 3: When there is nothing, I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. Partner s in Prayer 5

Syria's Civil War Explained

Syria's Civil War Explained By Al Jazeera, adapted by Newsela staff on 02.22.17 Word Count 675 Level 800L A displaced Syrian child, fleeing from Deir Ezzor besieged by Islamic State (IS) group fighters,